Products commonly frozen with IQF technologies are typically smaller pieces of food, and can include berries, fruits and vegetables both diced or sliced, seafood such as shrimp and small fish, meat, poultry, pasta, cheese and grains.
The short freezing prevents formation of large ice crystals in the product's cells, which destroys the membrane structures at the molecular level.
There is a range of IQF technologies, but the main concept is to transport the product into the freezer with the help of a processing line belt or infeed shaker.
Mechanical IQF freezers work on the principle of cold air circulation, which flows from underneath the bed plate or transport belt with the help of fans.
The design and efficiency of this type of IQF freezers varies among manufacturers who seek to find the perfect balance of aerodynamics for an optimal freezing result.